The Party Night
by Lily Hanson
Summary: Rumours are dangerous, they spread quickly, and they can hurt. One night at a party goes wrong for Gia and it sparks rumours all around the school.
1. The Invite

_Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Megaforce. This story is fan-made._

If there was one thing Emma loved about Harwood County, it was the green space. The outskirts of the city were surrounded by a beautiful forest that was home to hundreds of different species of insects and animals. Whenever she could, no matter the weather, Emma would take her bike and her camera out to the woods and take pictures of whatever creature she could find.

On this day, she had been fortunate enough to spot a mother deer with her fawn, and as they ate peacefully, Emma quietly inched herself as close as possible. Her camera had a zoom that would allow her to take beautiful pictures even from a distance, but Emma loved the chance to play with the lighting and the angles. The deer didn't seem to notice her presence so Emma was going to chance it.

She thought she was close enough and lowered herself a little closer to the ground, hiding in the bushes. She brought her camera up to her face and just as she was about to take the shot her cell phone started to ring. She cursed whoever it was who was calling her, but also herself for forgetting to turn it off. The mother deer looked up, startled by the noise, and then rushed off with her fawn for somewhere a little safer to eat.

Emma grabbed her phone from her bag and checked the number. It belonged to Jake and so she groaned as she answered it, "What _now?_"

"Do you think flowers will…?"

"Do you know how many guys have tried flowers?" Emma sighed, "Seriously, Jake, this is getting really annoying. Gia doesn't date. Can you stop calling me about this? Next time, there better be a monster attack."

She hung up the phone and stood up. The deer were gone now, but she was determined to find something. She walked back to her bike, strapped on her helmet, and started off in search of another spot to take a picture.

-Megaforce-

"_I doubt they would ever ask someone to be a Ranger, never mind be the red Ranger, if they didn't think he, or she, was good enough to get the job done."_

Troy would always remember his lessons at the Shiba's Dojo, but those words most of all. He still wasn't sure whether him being called into action as the red Megaforce Ranger was a dream come true or just a really strange coincidence but he wasn't going to let anyone down. His Senseis both believed in him and they had taught him well. Thanks to them, he could run into battle knowing he had the skills to take on any monster. However, getting used to being a leader, and getting used to having friends was a huge challenge. Troy wasn't sure he was ready for it, but he remembered Lauren's words and he had to believe she was right. Gosei wouldn't have chosen him if he didn't believe he was the perfect man to lead the team.

But it was hard fitting in. He was the new kid in school and the only Ranger who didn't have a friend. Jake and Noah were best friends, and had known each other for a very long time. In spite of being a jock and a nerd, they spent almost all their time together and knew how to put their differences aside. They had a bond that was truly unbreakable and Troy wasn't sure how he would ever learn to fit in and feel comfortable around them.

It was the same with Gia and Emma. He didn't know much about either of them, but they were also from different circles and yet they knew how to make their friendships work. They had years of history behind them. And they were girls. Troy didn't know the first thing about girls or how to befriend them. He wasn't even sure what they liked. He saw Emma walking around school with a camera and a bike helmet, but couldn't find anything that would relate those two objects together. And Gia, the only thing he knew about Gia was that Jake and every other guy (and some girls) in school had a huge crush on her.

Troy wasn't sure where he fit in, or how to make himself fit in. For now, he would help out when needed, and he would believe in Jayden and Lauren and Gosei when they assured him he had the qualities to do whatever he needed to do, but he couldn't make it work with the others. He didn't know how it was ever going to work. They were all so different.

-Megaforce-

Noah pulled out his laptop once he and Jake were settled in at a table at Ernie's. He always had his laptop with him wherever he went and had no problems pulling it out whenever he needed to. Right now he was working on a big project for the school that would help make communication easier for everyone, and would give Harwood County High a stronger sense of community.

Really, Noah just wanted his shot at earning a couple of bucks. After the success of Facebook, he knew social networking was a good business. He could do better than Zuckerberg and Harwood High was the place to get The Harwood Social Hub started.

Jake put his cell phone down on the table and sighed. He leaned against the table and looked over to Noah, "Well, that was no help."

"You don't stand a shot, dude," Noah shook his head. "Now, you're getting rejected by the best friend. When are you going to call it quits? Gia's not interested in you or anybody."

"No one accomplished anything by giving up," Jake said as he took a sip of his milkshake, "This Ranger thing might just be the perfect way to make something happen. We save lives, dude. She's bound to notice me and we're going to get close. I have an edge."

"And a very active imagination," Noah said, "You're still dreaming."

"Says the man trying to start Harwood Social Hub. You know I support you, Noah, but everyone's already connected. Why do you think this is going to work? If this turns into anything, it's just going to be another password to remember and another website spamming my inbox with message from people I barely know."

"I'm going to one up Facebook, Twitter, and all those other sites that think they've got the latest and greatest, and when I do, I won't share a dollar of my earnings with you."

"And when Gia and I get married, you're not invited to the wedding."

"Deal," Noah shrugged his shoulders and pushed his glasses up his nose, "Weddings aren't my thing anyways."

"I just need to find a way to stand out. You know, give her the chance to get to know the real me."

"What about flowers? Don't girls love flowers?"

"I have to stand out, dude," Jake shook his head, "Do you know how many guys give her flowers? I'll bet she's sick of them."

"And, with your luck, you'd get the kind she's allergic too."

"She's allergic to flowers?"

"I don't know," Noah looked up from his laptop and sighed, "I'm not watching her every minute of the school day. I'm probably the only guy at school who isn't. Why don't you try that? Why don't you leave her alone for a few years?"

"In other words, give up?" Jake asked. "No way, dude. I'm not giving up. I've just got to figure out something special. Something that'll really knock her socks off."

"Maybe she doesn't wear socks," Noah smirked and looked up to Jake. The black Ranger frowned.

"Now you're just being mean," he crossed his arms and turned away for a moment, pretending to be mad, but then he couldn't resist. He leaned over the table and tried to get a peek at Noah's screen, "By the way, did you get Gia's profile yet?"

Noah covered up his screen and gently pushed his friend back, "You're about one notch short of being a stalker, you know that, right?"

"Whatever, did you get it?"

"Yeah," Noah sighed and turned the screen around. Jake looked to it happily, rubbing his hands together as he prepared to read the details.

The profile was basically empty. All that was there was her name, her school, and a blurb in the relationship box that said: _uninterested_. Jake looked up to Noah and frowned, "Dude, you're killing me."

"No, she's killing me," Noah groaned and took back his laptop, "You know that if Gia shows interest then the whole school is going to follow. She could at least upload a profile picture or something…"

"You're desperate, dude," Jake teased before taking another sip of his milkshake. Noah looked up at him and rolled his eyes.

"Whatever."

-Megaforce-

After the deer incident, Emma had gone to search for new wildlife to photograph and had found a red fox sniffing around in the woods. Leaving her bike behind, Emma silently made her way to a bush, lowered herself into hiding and lifted her camera. Just as she went to take the picture, her cell phone rang again. The fox looked up, spotted her, and ran off. Emma did get a picture, but it mostly consisted of a red fox butt blur. She grumbled, lowered the camera, and reached for her phone.

"Jake, you better be at the mercy of some monster or I swear…"

"It's me."

"Gia? Hey."

"I scared off a squirrel, didn't I?"

"A fox, yeah."

"Sorry."

"It's fine. What's up?"

"Can I stay at your place tonight? The neighbour kid's having a party with his friends from school and they won't stop asking if I want to come over."

Emma shrugged her shoulders as she stepped out of the bush and walked back to her bike. She put her camera back in her bag, "Why don't you just go to the party for like five minutes? Just shut them up. I can go with you, if you want. You know, so they don't try anything."

There was a sigh on the other end, "Look, Emma, I'm really sorry about this. You know that if it weren't for the freaks and geeks I would totally go to one of the parties with you but…"

"I get it," Emma answered, "Parties aren't really my thing anyways."

"Besides, if I went to one, I'd never hear the end of it. I don't think it would shut them up. I think it would just make it worse."

"What if you showed up with a date?" Emma asked. "Is your cousin still in town? Go with him, convince everyone in school you don't date because you're taken. No one will be the wiser, and it might get a few people to back off."

"He's gone," Gia answered with a sigh. "But someone is available. Someone I trust."

"Gia…"

"C'mon, Emma. It's not like there aren't already rumours. You're the only person I'm close to."

"We're best friends! We always have been!"

"I know that. You know that. You offered to come anyways. Five minutes, I promise."

"This'll ruin my dating reputation."

"Are you kidding me? With the way some of these guys behave, you'll start getting all the phone calls. Please, please, please."

"Are you begging?"

"Yes. Please!"

"Alright, we'll show up together. But no weird touching or anything. Let's just let the theories create themselves. It'll be easier to deny them in the future that way."

"Promise. You're the best!"

"And by the way, next time, don't scare off my fox."

"Next time, turn off your phone. I'll see you soon!"


	2. The Party

Emma looked to the skirt on Gia's bed, and then the dress. She turned to her best friend, "So, what does one wear on a date with Gia Moran?"

"How would I know?" Gia shrugged her shoulders. "Wear whatever you want."

Emma rolled her eyes and grabbed the skirt, "Are you sure about this? You know I don't mind not going to parties."

"It might be fun," Gia answered, "Seeing the looks of disappointment on all their faces. It might finally get them all to stop staring."

"Why don't you just say yes to someone's request? You know boys want what they can't have. You're just setting yourself up."

"I used to say yes," Gia sighed, "You remember that? You remember what would happen? I'm not going through all that again."

"And I don't want you too," Emma nodded her head, "Alright, we'll crush their little spirits, but I have a feeling this is only going to be temporary."

"That's fine," Gia said.

Emma walked to the bathroom to get changed and when she came back she looked to Gia for her opinion. Gia smiled.

"You look very pretty Miss. Goodall."

"You know, usually when someone asks me out, they bring flowers or something when they pick me up. At my house. With their car. And they pay for dinner."

Gia looked around her room then picked up a sheet of paper from her desk, "I can turn this into a flower by the time we get next door."

"This date sucks," Emma laughed as she ripped the paper from Gia's hand, "Let's just go get this over with. You can buy me a shake at Ernie's tomorrow."

-Megaforce-

"Dude, it's Friday night!" Jake groaned as he leaned back in the booth. He had finished his shake and an ice-cream cone and was determined to go out and have a bit of fun, but Noah refused to leave his laptop. "C'mon, we should be out having fun. We work all week at school. Put the laptop away."

"I've got a few more things to work on," Noah shook his head, "I've got to get them done before I forget."

"Write it down on a sticky note or something. I'm bored. Look, I promise we won't go to the field to practice my shots on net."

"I still have bruises from last time," Noah groaned and rubbed his chest, "You know the goal is not to hit the goalie, but to get the ball past him, right?"

"Ever think of joining the soccer team?" Jake teased and then shut Noah's laptop, almost brushing the blue Ranger's fingers, "Please, dude. Let's just go hang out somewhere tonight and then tomorrow I'll even help you with that computer-y stuff."

"Alright, fine," Noah sighed and as he opened his bag to put away his laptop he had a thought, "Maybe we should invite Troy too."

"Sure, but we've got to figure out where we're going."

"Mick's throwing a party," Noah suggested and Jake looked to him strangely. He shrugged his shoulder, "What? He's a pretty cool guy, and a party would be the perfect place to spread the word about the HSH."

"The what?"

"Harwood Social Hub?" Noah groaned, "You and I really need to work on your acronyms. I can talk to a few people about the Hub, you can party with your soccer friends and if Troy wants to come along, maybe he can make a few friends too."

"Alright, I guess that sounds good…"

Noah sighed, "Doesn't Mick live right next door to Gia?"

Jake nodded his head, "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

-Megaforce-

Troy was in the park practicing his martial arts. For the most part, he trained alone. He had loved his time at the Shiba's Dojo and it didn't feel right going anywhere else. He also didn't feel like he was being challenged when anyone else taught him. Lauren and Jayden knew what they were doing and always had a way of pushing him to improve. No other martial arts academy could compete with that.

He landed firmly on both feet after flipping around and stopped to catch his breath. He saw his bottle of water waiting for him on the park bench and went to grab it. As he did, he noticed his cell phone was buzzing. He took a sip of water and then checked his messages. It was Noah, inviting him to a party. Troy wasn't one to go to parties, but he couldn't spend every day by himself. He replied to the message saying he would meet up with them around the corner from the party's location and they could arrive together.

-Megaforce-

"Has it been five minutes yet?" Gia asked as she sat at the breakfast bar in Mick's kitchen and watched as the houseful of people danced to the music. Some were high, some were drunk, and some of the guests were just plain weird without the perks.

"Four and a half," Emma shook her head and then her eye caught those of the school's hockey team captain and she started to blush. She had no idea he had been invited to the party. Mick, the host, was on the school's soccer team. The hockey team and the soccer team never mixed.

The hockey captain, Drew, gave her a smile, put down his drink and started to make his way over. Given he wasn't stumbling and knocking into people, Emma could assume he hadn't been drinking or smoking.

Gia nudged her, "We're supposed to be on a date."

Emma stuck out her lower lip, "Gia, he's the first guy to look my way all night. And he is really cute."

"You do know what's going to happen the moment you leave my side, right?"

"Five minutes," Emma begged but it was already too late. Drew was standing right next to her. Gia rolled her eyes, grabbed her drink from the counter, and left them alone. She was counting down the seconds.

-Megaforce-

Troy noticed Jake and Noah waiting for him around the corner from the party and smiled. He wasn't sure about tonight, but it did feel good to be invited out with them.

"What's up?"

"Awesome, you're here. Let's go," Jake walked ahead, moving as quickly as he could without making it obvious he was in a rush. Noah groaned and shook his head.

"Jake's deluded. You get used to it."

Troy gave a little smile, "What's he deluded about?"

"Gia."

Troy chuckled and nodded his head, "Everyone knows that. I'm the new guy, and even I know that."

"In spite of the fact that Gia hasn't shown up at any after school events ever," Noah said loud enough for Jake to hear him up ahead, "Jake's positive she'll be at this party. And though he'll get lost in the sea of other guys trying to hit on her – if she's even there – he thinks he's got a shot."

"Never give up on your dreams!" Jake called back, "C'mon, you two are slowing me down."

"Why does he think Gia's going to be at this party?" Troy asked Noah.

"She lives right next door."

"So?"

"Exactly," Noah nodded. He adjusted the strap on his shoulder, placing it a little higher up before turning to Troy, "So, did you go to lots of parties at your old school?"

"Nope. Never interested."

"Me neither," Noah shook his head, "I'm only going now because it'll give me the chance to talk about the HSH. By the way, I still need your profile."

"I'm working on it, I promise," Troy said, "I'm just making sure I'm not giving too much about myself away."

"The Hub is going to be completely secure, I promise."

"Guys! Guys!" Jake arrived at the party's door and was waving them over, "The party's hot! C'mon!"

"Let's go in before he wets himself," Noah rolled his eyes and Troy chuckled. Jake did not look amused.

"Why are we friends again?"

"Because you need me," Noah gave his best friend a pat on the back.

-Megaforce-

Emma wasn't usually the one being hit on by the guys. She spent a lot of her free time with Gia and was often overlooked for her best friend. It did hurt from time to time but she always kept Gia's words in her head. If a guy was stupid enough to overlook her even once for another girl, then he wasn't worth her time. Emma didn't want to have to keep any of her boyfriends away from her best friend just so she wouldn't have to worry about his gaze straying over all night. If she was going to date or get into a relationship with anyone, he had to have eyes for her.

Of course, there were the few times guys did try to get close to her, but most of the time they were doing so to get to Gia. It had hurt Emma several times, but she had learned to smell the rat. It did limit her date nights, and Gia knew Emma's relationship troubles were mostly due to her, so whenever Emma did get a real chance to start something, Gia was always kind enough to step out of the way.

And it seemed she and Drew had a real connection. Not once did he look around the room at the other girls or did he ask her anything about Gia. Emma really felt she had something with the hockey player and was just waiting for him to ask her out on a real date.

She had no idea how much time had passed, but knew it had been more than the five minutes she had promised Gia. Fortunately, it seemed her best friend was really being generous and if this night did work out the way Emma hoped it would, she would be the one buying Gia the smoothie.

Until she felt a tap on the shoulder. She looked over and saw Noah and Troy standing over her and Drew. She groaned loudly. It seemed they were both unaware of how important and rare this night was for her.

"Just two minutes," Noah begged her as he pulled out his laptop, "We need to talk to Drew."

"'Bout what?" Drew asked.

"The Harwood Social Hub," Noah explained as he showed off his profile page to Drew as a model, "It's a social networking website that I came up with for the school. Everyone's going to have their own page to…"

"Sounds like a Facebook rip-off to me," Drew shook his head.

"It'll be better," Noah said.

"It's actually pretty cool," Troy nodded. Because he didn't know anyone at the party but his Megaforce team, and he wasn't great at socializing, he had agreed to help Noah pitch his idea for the website. It was better than spending another Friday night alone.

"I'm not interested," Drew said and he gestured to Emma, "Now, if you don't mind, we were having a good time."

"It actually is a pretty cool idea," Emma said to Drew with a smile, "I've got my profile already, and I think, once Noah's done, it's going to be better than Facebook."

"Look, the geeks can do their thing and that's cool," Drew said, "but I'm not signing up for some lamo club or whatever it's called."

"Harwood Social Hub," Noah corrected. Emma held up a hand to silence him.

"C'mon, Drew, it can't hurt. At least tell him you'll consider it."

"Whatever," Drew shook his head and got up from the couch. He called over to his friends and went to join them as they pulled out a small bottle of alcohol and secretly poured it into people's drinks. Emma had seen this activity had started a while ago and had stopped herself from drinking completely.

Noah and Troy scratched the backs of their necks nervously when they saw they had chased away Emma's date. She turned to them both and glared, "Thanks, guys."

"Sorry," Noah shrugged his shoulders, "I just thought that if I could get the hockey captain to… sorry," Noah said when he saw his explanation was doing nothing for Emma. She just sighed.

"I guess he did turn out to be a bit of a jerk anyways. Still, it would have been nice to find that out for myself after a few dates."

"Someone better will come along," Troy told her with a promising smile. Emma returned the look and nodded her head.

"I can only hope."

"Emma, you're here?" Jake asked her as he came over, looking somewhat shocked. It was a well-known fact around the school that Gia Moran never went to parties, no matter how many times she was invited, but very few people had noticed that Emma Goodall also never attended any parties. Wherever Gia went, Emma went and vice-versa. "That means…"

"Jake, seriously," Emma shook her head and grabbed his arm before he could start his search for the yellow Ranger, "Back off. You're not doing yourself any favours. Gia's not interested in dating at all and you're definitely not going to be the guy to change her mind."

"Says who?" Jake asked. Emma sighed loudly.

"Look, you're a great guy…"

"Now you're getting the speech from the best friend," Noah whispered in Jake's ear, "Give up."

"Gia doesn't date," Emma said. "It's nothing personal, she's just… Gia? Gia!"

Emma pushed her way past Jake and through the crowd when she saw her best friend stumbling down the stairs, clutching the hand rail tightly to keep herself from falling. Emma grabbed the yellow Ranger and helped her the rest of the way before setting her down on a nearby chair, "Gia, what were you doing upstairs?"

"I don't know," Gia shook her head and looked up. Emma knew there was something wrong. Gia looked like she had been, and possibly still was crying, and she seemed very different. Out-of-it, almost, "Can we… can we go…"

"Home," Emma nodded her head and helped Gia up. "You can stay at my place."

As Emma helped Gia to the door, she glanced over her shoulder at Troy, Jake, and Noah, who watched on with concern. When they were gone, Mick and Alex, both on the soccer team, came down the stairs. Halfway down they stopped, turned to the party they had started and pumped their fists in the air. Those who saw them cheered.

Jake knew what this meant and his blood began to boil. As Mick and Alex came down the stairs, Jake pushed his way through the crowd and met up with them. Without thinking, he threw a punch, hitting Alex on the side of his face.

"You're an asshole!" he shouted to the boy on the ground and was too distracted to see Mick was ready to defend his friend. Fortunately, Troy and Noah were right behind Jake. While Troy blocked Mick's punch, Noah pulled Jake away.

"Maybe it's time to go," Noah whispered and continued to tug on Jake's arm until they were at the door. Troy was right behind them and he kept close eye on Mick, Alex, and anyone else who thought it was Jake who was out of line.


	3. The Morning After

"You had something to drink, didn't you?" Emma asked as she pulled Gia's hair back and averted her gaze while the yellow Ranger puked in the toilet. She had gotten Gia back to her place without raising any suspicion from her parents. Fortunately, they were gone for the weekend so they would never know what had happened at the party and Gia was free to stay as long as she needed. As it looked, it was going to at least be overnight.

"I barely even know where I am," Gia muttered, "I can't remember anything… well much of anything."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Gia shook her head. Assuming she was done puking for now she flushed the toilet and shakily got up to wash herself off in the sink. Emma kept a watchful eye on her and felt a wave of guilt wash over her. She had pushed her luck with Drew and ignored the five minutes she had promised Gia for a boy who turned out to be a jerk anyways. If she had respected the time limit, she was sure none of this would have happened.

She took in a deep breath to calm herself down and then opened the drawer, "I've got a new toothbrush you can use to get rid of that barf aftertaste."

"Thanks."

Emma took the toothbrush from the drawer and opened it for Gia. She then left Gia to clean out her mouth while she went to her room to find something for the yellow Ranger to sleep in. Moments later, she heard footsteps walking down the hall to her room.

"Pink's not really my colour."

"That's not all I've got," Emma smirked and offered her a yellow shirt and white shorts. Gia stumbled as she walked into the room to grab them. Emma sighed, "Are you going to need help?"

"Maybe just to figure out how to take my shirt off," Gia admitted, "I'm still kind of…"

"Loopy? Here," Emma helped out as much as she could and finally Gia was ready to pass out. As soon as her head hit the pillow on Emma's bed she was out and unfortunately took up most of the space on the bed. Emma groaned, "I guess it's the floor for me."

-Megaforce-

Jake was kicking every pebble and pop can he found on the sidewalk as he, Troy, and Noah headed home.

"How dare they!"

"Look, we're not even sure what they did," Noah reminded Jake, "Remember the rumours from last year? Gia obviously wasn't in a state to defend herself and those guys may have just taken advantage."

"I'm sure they did," Jake muttered and this time kicked a rock. He cried out in pain and quickly realized his mistake. Noah just groaned loudly and shook his head.

"What happened last year?" Troy asked.

"The yearbook committee was going around snapping random pictures of people around the school," Noah explained as Jake tried to tend to his sore foot. "A picture of Gia and a kid from the chess team surfaced and given the angle of the shot, it looked like they were in a bit of a compromising position."

"Oh."

"Once Gia heard about it, she set the record straight. People mostly believed her because it meant she was still available to date. But she didn't find out about it for weeks, so the kid was all high and mighty until she tore him a new one. Mick and Alex could be pulling that stunt again. Jake, no offense, but you soccer guys take a lot of shots to the head. Sometimes even on purpose."

"Gia deserves better than this," Jake got to his feet and started to limp off on his own, "I'm going home, guys. I'll see you two tomorrow or whatever…"

-Megaforce-

Emma shook her friend, hoping to wake her up, "Gia! Gia! C'mon, that's my bear! Gia!"

Gia groaned, rolled over, but kept her arms wrapped tightly around the bear. Emma didn't want to have to resort to this after the night Gia had had, but there was no other option. She ripped the pillow out from under Gia's head and then smacked her with it. Gia woke with a start and then groaned loudly. She dropped the bear in favour of her head. It was pounding.

Suddenly, the night came back to her in more details than before she had passed out. She threw off the blankets and walked to the bathroom. Emma followed her until the door was slammed in her face.

"Gia! We can talk about it. You know I'm on your side, no matter what happened."

"I don't want to talk about it!" Gia sounded angry, but Emma knew her best friend better than that. She was hurting. Emma could only remember one other time Gia had been this upset. She knocked on the door.

"Alright, then at least tell me if you need me to take you to the doctor's or something."

"I don't want to talk about it!" Gia shouted again.

"Is it anything like last time?"

"Just shut up, Emma!"

"Let me in and I will, I promise," Emma begged and waited silently for her friend to reply. The bathroom door came open and Gia looked to her.

"Not a word."

Emma nodded and pulled her best friend in for a hug. Gia returned the gesture and held tightly. After a moment, Gia sighed.

"I don't need to go to the doctor."

"You don't have to be ashamed…"

"Please, Emma…" Gia looked Emma right in the eyes and the pink Ranger nodded her head.

"Okay."

"We can go animal stalking today," Gia muttered and pulled away from Emma's arms, "There's no way I'm sitting on the couch all day. I don't want to have to think about… it."

"I've got an extra camera. I'll get it for you," Emma said with a little smile. "I made you breakfast. It's on the table."

"Thanks," Gia nodded slightly and walked down the hallway to find her meal while Emma went off in search of her old camera. She didn't use it much, but kept it around for times like these where Gia came with her on her trips out to the forest.

Gia saw the meal for her at the kitchen table. It looked like a regular breakfast of bacon, buttered toast, and sausages, but Gia knew better.

"Emma!"

"You won't taste the difference!"

"You always say that and I always do!"

"Just eat it! It's healthier for you anyways."

-Megaforce-

Gia was never exactly sure what to do when she followed Emma out to the forest for pictures, but she followed her best friend closely. Today especially was hard for Gia to focus and follow along. Though she and Emma were out in the forest to try to forget what had happened the night before at the party, Gia's mind continued to go back to one of the worst experiences of her life.

"Shh," Emma whispered and found a fallen tree to hide behind. She ducked behind it and so Gia did the same. Emma lifted the camera and very quietly focused the image on the mother bird feeding her young up in a tree. Gia, meanwhile, looked down at her hands.

She felt dirty because of what the boys had done to her. She felt wronged, useless, and stupid. More than all that, she hated herself. Growing up, she had always been told she was pretty. Her parents, friends, and family would always boost her confidence by telling her she was the prettiest little girl. She heard those words just like most other girls growing up. She had also been fortunate enough to believe them. Until high school, she never had any lack of confidence when it came to her looks.

She was more than just a pretty face. Her parents would never let her get by on her looks alone. She was smart, she worked hard, and she had gotten to where she was in life because she had earned it for herself. Every aced test or paper had been her own doing. There had been some help along the way, but the credit belonged to her.

In high school, hormones began to kick in. For girls, boys were no longer stinky, dirty, and annoying. As the boys gained more muscle they grew more into men. Girls would spend their entire day talking about which of their classmates was the hottest, they would scribble the names of the boys they liked all over their notebooks, and would even argue with their best friends from childhood over who got to date a boy who, only a couple years before, had been the most annoying person they had ever known.

For boys, girls changed a lot. They developed more of the womanly features which men desired. They started wearing make-up to make themselves look more beautiful, and dressed more provocatively to grab the attention of the boys. Gia had once been on that bandwagon until she realized just how much of an effect she had on the school. Any boy who talked to her wanted only one thing from her, and most of the other girls were jealous of her.

This incident, just like the last, was a shocking eye opener for how dangerous she was to herself. Though all the girls wanted to be called the hottest girl in school, Gia would give up that title at a moment's notice. She hated it. She hated what it meant for her and what it had done to her for a second time. It ruined her. She had ruined herself.

Emma snapped a picture of the mother feeding her babies and looked at the results with a smile. She turned around to show Gia the picture but her best friend had tears streaming down her cheeks. She looked tense. She looked like she was in a lot of pain.

"Gia?"

"I hate myself…"

"No," Emma shook her head and hugged her best friend, "Gia, please don't say that. It's not your fault."

"I do!" Gia shouted and pushed Emma away. "I hate the way I look, I hate who I've become. I hate myself. I really, really…"

"Those guys are scum," Emma set her camera on the ground and tried to keep Gia close, "All those guys, every guy at school, every guy who's never seen you as more than just… that… they're all scum! There's nothing wrong with you! Nothing at all! Gia…"

I can't stop it, Emma…"

"I'd trade places with you in a heartbeat, you know I would. I'd take away what happened last night if I could. I'd take it all away. We never should have gone to that party. I shouldn't have even suggested you go to shut them all up."

"I hate myself…"

"No you don't," Emma grabbed Gia's face gently and looked her in the eyes, "You don't hate yourself. You can't hate yourself. If you hate yourself, you're going to… this is just going to keep happening. I'm not letting it get to that point. We're not losing you, Gia."

"I…"

"You're going to meet a guy, Gia, and he's going to think you're beautiful, but he's not going to be a dick about it…"

"Literally," Gia muttered. Emma pulled her back in for a hug.

"He's going to get to know you. He'll think you're a million times more beautiful on the inside than on the outside. He's going to care about you, Gia."

"He'll also be imaginary."

"Please, Gia, don't do this. You've been my best friend since before I can remember. Our friendship is older than my memory. I like you for what's on the inside, Gia, and there's got to be someone else out there who does. He'll find you."

Gia wrapped her arms tightly around Emma and buried her face in her shoulder, "I hate this."

"Me too. But it's going to be okay. I'll make sure it's okay."


	4. The New News

Gia was no stranger to staying away from the people at school over the weekend, but this weekend she really kept to herself. No one spotted her at Ernie's, in the park, or on the street. She spent Saturday and Sunday hiding out with Emma, spending the days out in the woods and the nights at her best friend's house. It had been a rough weekend, but she had survived it with a lot of help from Emma. Gia knew she was lucky to have such an amazing best friend.

But come Monday morning she couldn't hide. She got dressed, threw her bag over her shoulder and made it to school. As much as possible, she ignored everyone who tried to get her to talk about the weekend. Rumours had begun to spread. The whole school knew and believed that Mick and Alex had gotten Gia Moran in bed.

"What does it take?" the captain of the football team asked as he leaned up against the lockers. Gia continued with her usual cool demeanour, pretending like he was barely there. It was all she could do at this point. Her only other options were to break down crying in the middle of the school, but that would only make her vulnerable again, or she could run away and never show her face around Harwood County again.

"More than you think," she muttered and slammed her locker shut. She held her books against her chest and tried to move quickly to class, hoping the eyes of a teacher would keep the other students away. At the same time she had to wonder where Emma was. She had promised not to leave her side. She had promised to help. She had promised everything would be okay.

The football captain came after her, "C'mon, Gia, you know I'm so much better than those soccer losers. What could they possibly have that I don't? Here, I'll carry your books."

"I've got arms," Gia tried to pull away from him but he insisted. He tried to snatch her books from her but instead caused them all to spill on the floor. Gia groaned and bent over to grab them, but the football captain did the same. When she looked up, she saw he was trying to get closer to her. Their lips were only inches apart. With a cry, she shoved him, knocking him on his ass and into the lockers.

"Gia!" gentle hands grabbed her and pulled her up and away from the football captain. They were Emma's, "You can borrow my books. For the rest of the year. Let's just go."

With Emma by her side, Gia made it without interruption to their first class. Mr. Burley, the science teacher, wasn't in the room just yet. Emma closed the door and looked to Gia, "Sorry. I got held up this morning."

"It's fine," Gia shook her head and took a seat. This time, instead of sitting at the front of the class, where she usually liked to place herself, Gia sat at the very back. She didn't want anyone staring at her. She would get enough of that at lunch and between classes. Just then, the door to the class opened. Emma braced herself to yell at whoever was trying to get in until she saw it was Jake, Noah, and Troy. Gia got started for the school day by opening her notebook and reviewing past lessons while at the same time ignoring the boys. Emma turned to them with a sigh.

"Can we have a minute…?"

"Gia," Jake called to her but she didn't look up. She wasn't interested in whatever he had to say. Though she pretended like she didn't notice or care, she knew he was like the other boys in the sense that he also had a huge crush on her. She didn't want to have to deal with that or with him today.

Jake walked to her desk and sat down in the chair in front of her, "We saw what happened last night and… we… I… I think what they did is disgusting. I'll bet the rumours aren't true, right?"

Gia looked up with an intense glare, "Go away. I'm busy."

"I won't believe them," Jake assured her. "None of us do," he looked over his shoulder and saw Noah and Troy were nodding in agreement, while Emma just rolled her eyes. Gia already knew where she stood.

Jake turned back to Gia, "If you need some space, just ask for it. I still think you're amazing. That hasn't changed, but I know I can get pretty annoying sometimes, so if you want me to stop…"

"I thought I already did," Gia growled and glared at Jake once more, "Don't make me say it again."

"That's cool," Jake grabbed his books, got up, and sat at the front of the class and on the other side of the room. Troy and Noah sat beside and behind him. Emma sat next to her best friend. As the bell rang to start class and the students and Mr. Burley walked in, Gia kept her head low and focused on her paper. She did so all class except for the few times she looked up and over at Jake. Not once did he turn around to look at her. He had his eyes focused on the blackboard and on the lesson being taught.

-Megaforce-

Gia spent the rest of the week ignoring everyone and pretending like nothing had happened. At lunch, she and Emma would eat off campus, away from the rest of the student body. Emma borrowed her mother's car all week to drive further out than most students could walk so they wouldn't run into anyone they knew.

Emma hated to see her friend so miserable, and so she did everything she could to get the old Gia back. Gia refused to talk to anyone, especially her parents, about what had happened, so Emma took matters into her own hands. She had gone to see a therapist herself, played the role of Gia, and then, over the week, when Gia tried to put herself down, Emma repeated the therapist's words verbatim.

Gia responded well and with Emma's help she started to feel better about herself by Friday. Emma could see her hard work was paying off, but she could also see that it wasn't just her work that was helping. Troy, Noah, and Jake especially were doing their part to shut the school up and keep the boys away from Gia. Jake, as he had promised, stopped trying to hit on Gia, and now when he saw her, and when they had to fight as Power Rangers, he was no longer doing all he could to impress her. He had backed off, given her her space. Emma could tell that was helping. Emma could see Jake was really different from all the other boys who tried to get Gia's attention.

Unfortunately, all week Mick and Alex were desperate to spread the story about what happened on the night of the party and sugar coated it to make themselves look like the school heroes. But, as with all stories in high school, this one began to blow over and, by the weekend was old news. Naturally, another student had done something so stupid and so public; it was all anyone could talk about. Mick and Alex tried desperately the following Monday morning to keep their stories of getting Gia Moran in bed alive, but it didn't stand a chance. It was old news, no one cared for it anymore.

"How are you feeling?" Emma asked as she opened her locker and glanced over to Gia, who was organizing the books she would need for the day. Gia shrugged her shoulders. The stared had returned to their normal uncomfortable, and people stopped whispering about the party night incident behind her back every time she walked into or out of a room. It did help Gia feel a little better.

"I'm fine. You?"

"Great," Emma nodded her head. She wouldn't push Gia to talk. She knew if there was anything wrong, Gia would tell her. Emma pulled a binder from her bag, "I've got a bunch of new pictures From this weekend. I think some of them are really great…"

"And you want me to sit next to you and say how beautiful they all are and how talented you are."

"If you don't mind," Emma chuckled and nodded her head. She passed the binder to Gia, "but only if that's what you really mean. I'm thinking of using some of these pictures for my college resume."

"You know I'm always honest," Gia said with a smile. She put the binder in her bag for later and walked with Emma to class. By the time they arrived, already a few students had gathered and were watching a Youtube video on their IPad.

"How does he not know he's running the wrong way?" one student commented and sounded somewhat annoyed as she watched the video. "I don't even play soccer, and even I know he's supposed to take the ball to the other team's net."

"It's because of him we lost against Panorama High," another student muttered.

Gia leaned over to Emma as they took their seats, "What's that about?"

"You didn't hear?" Emma seemed somewhat surprised, "Friday the soccer team played against Panorama."

"Big game," Gia said. Harwood County High and Panorama High were rival schools, and anytime the two schools played against each other in any sport the win meant so much more. Sometimes, the winning school celebrated their win with a lot more pride and enthusiasm than they did if their school won a championship.

"I'll say," Emma nodded her head, "The game was tied right up until the last minute. Jake got the ball and I guess he got confused or something. He ran the wrong way and scored on our net – giving the other team the goal."

"Idiot," Gia muttered just as the bell rang. Jake rushed into class and as soon as he crossed the threshold paper balls were thrown his way.

"What a loser," someone muttered.

It was Jake's turn to sit at the back of the class. He was hoping to hide from all the kids who wanted to throw something at him as well as the kids who were shooting him with their eye daggers. Gia, who had taken back her seat at the front of the class, turned to look at him. It was just in time, too. She saw one boy rip a piece of paper from his notebook and put a tiny piece in his mouth. On his desk, Gia could see he had a straw.

"I don't like this seat," Gia commented to Emma, "It wobbles. Someone must have switched them over the weekend."

"So?" Emma asked.

"I think my usual spot is there," Gia got up and walked to the back of the class and sat down in front of Jake. She gave a harsh glare at the kid with the paper in his mouth and instantly he turned to face the front. Gia rolled her eyes and opened up her notebook. Just as Mr. Burley walked in, she glanced over her shoulder.

"Don't even think about spending the whole class staring at me, Holling," she whispered. "Your eyes can look one of two places: the board or your books. Got it?"

"Yeah," Jake nodded and lowered his gaze to focus on his desk as Mr. Burley started his class. He knew he wasn't supposed to mention anything to Gia, but he couldn't stop himself. Quickly, he leaned forward, "How are you?"

"That's still none of your business."

"I'll take that as your thanks," Jake smiled as he leaned back into his seat.

_End._


End file.
